Also known as Stolen Death, this thriller is set in Helsinki at the beginning of the 20th Century. Using elements of German Expressionism, the film tells the story of Finnish resistance fighters smuggling arms in their fight to win independence from their Russian occupiers. The film stresses the divided loyalties of Finland's bourgeois class, which was torn between the preservation of their privileged economic existence and the dubious struggle for an independent Finland. Some critics have claimed that the film was also a thinly disguised protest against the rise of fascism in the county in the 1930s. What political views the film's director held is not known. Finland experienced a significant social split after its declaration of independence in 1918, when a bloody and very bitter civil war was fought between Reds and Whites. The alleged allegorical indictments of class inequality and the suppression of free speech and political expression as displayed in the movie might lead one to conclude that Tapiovaara directed a film to mirror his own leftist ideas. Nevertheless, his death in February 1940, at the age of 28, fighting against the Soviet invaders of his country, earned him an almost mythical status in Finland among fans of all political stripes.

DVD-R is in Finnish with switchable English subtitles. Approx. 83 mins. See video sample for picture and audio quality!